Appert's Tetraka
Encyclopedia
Appert's Tetraka or Appert's Greenbul (Xanthomixis apperti) is a small passerine
bird endemic to the south-west of Madagascar
. The species was only described in 1972, and has been the subject of considerable taxonomic confusion. It was initially placed in the greenbul
genus
Phyllastrephus, and later with the Old World warbler
s in the genus Bernieria. Recent research indicates it is part of an endemic Malagasy radiation currently known as the Malagasy warbler
s (Cibois et al. 2001).
The Appert's Tetraka is around 15 cm long with a pink bill and grey legs. The plumage
of the sexes is similar; the back, tail and wings are green (the wings being a darker shade), the head grey and the throat white. The flanks and belly are washed orange and the undersides are white. The species is highly terrestrial, feeding in undisturbed forest in shrubs near the ground and on the ground. Family groups of up to 8 birds, sometimes in association with other species, forage on insects gleaned
from under leaves and branches.
The Appert's Tetraka is currently restricted to two known locations in south-west Madagascar. One is the dry deciduous forest at Zombitse-Vohibasia National Park
(where the species was first discovered) and a second population in montane evergreen forest
at Analavelona Classified Forest. The species is considered vulnerable due to its restricted range, particularly to habitat loss due to forest clearance. At present the Zombitse-Vohibasia forest is the subject of conservation projects that have stopped deforestation, and the Analavelona Classified Forest, while not protected, is remote and not under immediate threat.
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird endemic to the south-west of Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
. The species was only described in 1972, and has been the subject of considerable taxonomic confusion. It was initially placed in the greenbul
Greenbul
The greenbuls and bristlebills are a group of birds within the bulbul family Pycnonotidae, found only within Africa. They are all largely drab olive-green above, and paler below, with few distinguishing features....
genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Phyllastrephus, and later with the Old World warbler
Old World warbler
The "Old World Warblers" is the name used to describe a large group of birds formerly grouped together in the bird family Sylviidae. The family held over 400 species in over 70 genera, and were the source of much taxonomic confusion. Two families were split out initially, the cisticolas into...
s in the genus Bernieria. Recent research indicates it is part of an endemic Malagasy radiation currently known as the Malagasy warbler
Malagasy warbler
The Malagasy warblers are a newly validated clade of songbirds. They were formally named Bernieridae in 2010. The family consists of ten species of small forest birds and is endemic to Madagascar....
s (Cibois et al. 2001).
The Appert's Tetraka is around 15 cm long with a pink bill and grey legs. The plumage
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
of the sexes is similar; the back, tail and wings are green (the wings being a darker shade), the head grey and the throat white. The flanks and belly are washed orange and the undersides are white. The species is highly terrestrial, feeding in undisturbed forest in shrubs near the ground and on the ground. Family groups of up to 8 birds, sometimes in association with other species, forage on insects gleaned
Gleaning (birds)
Gleaning is a term for a feeding strategy by birds in which they catch invertebrate prey, mainly arthropods, by plucking them from foliage or the ground, from crevices such as rock faces and under the eaves of houses, or even, as in the case of ticks and lice, from living animals. This behavior is...
from under leaves and branches.
The Appert's Tetraka is currently restricted to two known locations in south-west Madagascar. One is the dry deciduous forest at Zombitse-Vohibasia National Park
Zombitse-Vohibasia National Park
Zombitse-Vohibasia National Park is a national Park of Madagascar....
(where the species was first discovered) and a second population in montane evergreen forest
Evergreen forest
An temperate evergreen forest is a forest consisting entirely or mainly of evergreen trees that retain green foliage all year round. Such forests exist in the tropics primarily as broadleaf evergreens, and in temperate and boreal latitudes primarily as coniferous evergreens.-Tropical evergreen...
at Analavelona Classified Forest. The species is considered vulnerable due to its restricted range, particularly to habitat loss due to forest clearance. At present the Zombitse-Vohibasia forest is the subject of conservation projects that have stopped deforestation, and the Analavelona Classified Forest, while not protected, is remote and not under immediate threat.